Migrant accused of shooting 2 NYC cops hit with attempted murder charges while hospitalized after wild chase
The Venezuelan migrant accused of shooting two NYPD cops was charged with two counts of attempted murder and a slew of other raps Tuesday.
Suspect Bernardo Castro Mata, 19, remained in a hospital bed as authorities nailed him with multiple felonies in the early Monday shooting of Officers Christopher Abreu and Richard Yarusso, both 26.
The hero cops had tried to pull over Mata after they spotted him driving a motorized scooter without plates the wrong down an Elmhurst street about 1:40 a.m., police said.
Everything to know about the two NYPD officers shot by a migrant
A Venezuelan migrant shot two NYPD officers in a wild chase in Queens early Monday — with one of the injured cops frantically rendering aid to his more badly hurt partner, police and sources said.
The suspect, 19-year-old Bernardo Castro Mata, entered the US illegally last year.
Mata shot Officer Richard Yarusso, 26, in his bullet-proof vest and Officer Christopher Abreu, 26, in the leg as the cops wrestled to get his illicit gun away, authorities said.
Mata is also suspected of helping to attack two women — one of whom was slugged in the face — during a pair of snatch-and-grab robberies days ago, police and sources said.
He was already on the cops’ radar Monday as a person of interest for the robberies — which may be part of a slew of crimes run by crews, including a violent gang in at least one case.
Mata has been living in the migrant shelter located in the former Courtyard Marriott Hotel near LaGuardia Airport in Queens.
Mata was charged with two counts of attemptive murder and additionally, two counts each of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and obstruction of governmental administration.
The case against Mata has already been dismissed, the Post has confirmed.
But Mata ditched his moped and ran several blocks, leading the cops to chase him on foot, cops said.
Yarusso tackled the suspect, who then whipped out an illegal gun from a fanny pack and blasted the officer in the chest. The cop’s bullet-proof vest saved his life, authorities said.
Mata then shot Abreu in the leg before Abreu fired back and hit the suspect in the right ankle, officials said.
In addition to attempted murder, the suspect was charged with two counts each of assault, criminal possession of a weapon and obstruction of governmental administration.
He has yet to be arraigned.
